# Stores

Stores are objects that implement READ/UPDATE/DELETE operations against a storage medium for objects that implement the [StorableInterface](https://github.com/deep-web-solutions/wordpress-framework-foundations/blob/master/src/includes/Utilities/Storage/StorableInterface.php) interface. In a nutshell, an object is storable if it has an ID (see the [StorableTrait ](https://github.com/deep-web-solutions/wordpress-framework-foundations/blob/master/src/includes/Utilities/Storage/StorableTrait.php)and [AbstractStorable](https://github.com/deep-web-solutions/wordpress-framework-foundations/blob/master/src/includes/Utilities/Storage/AbstractStorable.php) for a simple implementation). All classes belonging to the Storage namespace can be found [here](https://github.com/deep-web-solutions/wordpress-framework-foundations/tree/master/src/includes/Utilities/Storage).

There are 3 stores that the Foundations Module comes with:

* [A memory store](https://github.com/deep-web-solutions/wordpress-framework-foundations/blob/master/src/includes/Utilities/Storage/Stores/MemoryStore.php) for storing objects in-memory during the current request.
* [An options table store](https://github.com/deep-web-solutions/wordpress-framework-foundations/blob/master/src/includes/Utilities/Storage/Stores/OptionsStore.php) for persistent database storage across requests in the WP options table.
* [A user meta table store](https://github.com/deep-web-solutions/wordpress-framework-foundations/blob/master/src/includes/Utilities/Storage/Stores/UserMetaStore.php) for persistent database storage across request in the WP user meta table.

{% hint style="info" %}
Stores are storable as well. It is possible to create a store that stores other stores! Check the [`MultiStoreAwareInterface`](https://github.com/deep-web-solutions/wordpress-framework-foundations/blob/master/src/includes/Utilities/Storage/MultiStoreAwareInterface.php) and [`MultiStoreAwareTrait`](https://github.com/deep-web-solutions/wordpress-framework-foundations/blob/master/src/includes/Utilities/Storage/MultiStoreAwareTrait.php) for examples.
{% endhint %}

Here is a simple example of a dummy storable object stored in a memory store:

```php
<?php

namespace DeepWebSolutions\Plugins\MyTestPlugin\Storage;

use DeepWebSolutions\Framework\Foundations\Utilities\Storage\AbstractStorable;
use DeepWebSolutions\Framework\Foundations\Utilities\Storage\Stores\MemoryStore;

class MyStorable extends AbstractStorable {
    public string $storable_property;
}

$my_storable1 = new MyStorable( 'unique-id-1' );
$my_storable1->storable_property = 'test value 1';

$my_storable2 = new MyStorable( 'unique-id-2' );
$my_storable1->storable_property = 'test value 2';

$memory_store = new MemoryStore( 'my-memory-store' );
$memory_store->add( $my_storable1 );
$memory_store->add( $my_storable2 );

echo $memory_store->count(); // echoes 2
echo $memory_store->get( 'unique-id-1' )->storable_property; // echoes 'test value 1'

$my_storable3 = new MyStorable( 'unique-id-1' ); // same as $my_storable1
$my_storable3->storable_property = 'test value 3';
$memory_store->update( $my_storable3 );

echo $memory_store->get( 'unique-id-1' )->storable_property; // echoes 'test value 3'

```

{% hint style="danger" %}
There is no guarantee that your storable object will be stored properly when using the options or user meta stores. The two stores rely on WordPress' own [`update_option`](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/update_option/) and [`update_user_meta`](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/update_user_meta/) functions respectively and those both rely on PHP's [`serialize`](https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.serialize.php) function. If you have trouble storing your objects, implement the magic methods `__serialize` and `__unserialize` for better handling.
{% endhint %}


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